[303rd-Talk] Re: Tail gun

[Maurice Paulk]

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Maurice Paulk 
  To: Jim McCoy 
  Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 5:06 PM
  Subject: Re: Tail gun


  I goofed on your address--has been rejected twice =
  =this one should go through!!!!!
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Maurice Paulk 
    To: Jim McCoy 
    Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 4:56 PM
    Subject: Tail gun


    JIM---In response to your letter of the 17th ---
    THANK YOU FOR THE INFO!!!!!!!!!!!!

    > My Dad, Mel McCoy was the chief engineer in the 303rd's 444th 
    Squadron Sub-Depot >.......
      I never knew Mel until he came to one of the mini-reunions 
    in Grand Island. 1990 [12 showed up] was the first one. Next '91 
    = 92 I went to Boise ID- '93 = '94 Colorado Springs.= '95 = '96 last one! 
    The last two we had only five of us. In '96 it was decided that if 
    we couldn't get at least 7 for '97 that it wasn't worth the travel time to 
    see just 4 people. My efforts failed. '96 was the last one. 
    Managed to get to Branson in 2002...Your dad attended twice 
    {if my memory is functioning]. Both times he visited the Wagners here 
    in town. The last time he was preparing a history of the 328th -- 444th. 
    I helped him to the best of my knowledge with the Air Corps Supply. 
    He was a very likable man!!!

    > Mel always said many F's came over to Molesworth with Cheyenne 
    Tails and many other G mods that were often not in the records.  
    Only in late '44 did new airplanes come over consistently configured.  >
           By Gee!!! I sure don't remember of seeing a Cheyenne turret. Most 
    of us in the office really never had the time or else never took the time 
    to walk to the field. We could see the N-S runway from the reparable 
    hanger & from in front of the Supply building. A pilot with 4 hours 
    multi-engine time [so we heard] came in to fast & collapsed the left 
    landing oleo strut.  Outside port eng. =sudden stoppage- ball turret 
    shedding ammo & stream of "fire". Radio operator first one out, 
    when he slid down & hit the ground he was running!!!! Crew was 
    out of the ship in no time!!! I happened to be at the reparable 
    hanger [the  A/C Supply's "coffee Shop" was in a wing crate 
    "office"] heard it coming in & saw results !!!  
         The last one I was close to was a disaster!! BIG hole in under 
    side of port wing. [I stuck my head into it] Main -2 feeders & all 
    Tokyo tanks had to be replaced. Tail wheel boot shredded - 
    saw holes in vertical stab [most of fabric on the control surfce 
    was gone]  - w/gunner got 20mm in his side - meat on cables - 
    blood on "floor" & ball turret window obscured - Not a gun had 
    been fired. I was told that they thought the FW190 was a P-47!!!!!!!!!

    > Nose guns (before the G/YB-40 chin turret) were another 
    story entirely.  > 
       I heard that the 303rd was more or less the leader in the 
    experimental nose guns. The first jury rigged nose gun that I saw 
    was twin 50s with bungee cord inside the nose to stabilize it.
    Later on I saw only a single 50 but don't recall how it was intalled.

    My aplogies--I seem to have diarrhia of the finger tips to day!!!!! 
     I talk too much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    > Jim McCoy
    > 

    Maurice